Episode #202 - Right On, Rhydon!

It's early morning, Pikachu and Togepi are playing when they spot
something in a nearby lake. Pikachu wakes Ash, who comes out of his
tent just in time to see a Rhydon burst out of the water! When Misty
wakes up she doesn't believe Ash's story, how can a Rock Pokemon survive
underwater?

A girl holding a Marill arrives and introduces herself as Pietra.
Brock flirts with her as she explains that this particular Rhydon
somehow learned the Surf move. She asks Ash where it went, and when he
tells her, she says that she has been looking for it.

Pietra leads the kids to a tunnel in a hillside where Dugtrio,
Sandslash, and Graveler are all digging. Pietra is trying to dig the
tunnel through the mountain to make it easier to get to the next town,
but water dripping from the ceiling disturbs the Pokemon. She hopes to
capture the Rhydon and use it to complete the digging. Brock volunteers
his Onix but it too is spooked by the dripping water.

Team Rocket is close by, a Rhydon that likes water would be perfect
for the boss, so they come up with a plan to catch it.

Ash and friends follow the Rhydon's prints to the edge of the lake.
Many apple cores are lying around, it seems that the Rhydon likes apples
too. Behind them, Team Rocket gloats that they can use this information
to set a trap for Rhydon, but when they see apple trees they get hungry.

The group follows a trail of cores to discover Team Rocket feasting
on a pile of apples. The Rhydon appears and becomes angry to see
someone eating its apples, so it sends Team Rocket blasting off. Pietra
asks the Rhydon to battle her so she can catch it, but it runs away and
dives into the lake. They release their water Pokemon to go after it,
and it uses its Horn Drill underwater to create a whirlpool, forcing
them to go back to shore.

Brock watches with binoculars and discovers that there's an island
in the lake with lots of apple trees. Pietra theorises that the Rhydon
liked apples so much that it overcame its fear of water to swim to the
island. Team Rocket overhears this and beats them to the island, where
they dig a pitfall trap. Unfortunately Wobbuffet falls into it before
the Rhydon shows up.

The kids wait in the bushes, and when the Rhydon comes, Pietra asks
again for a battle. It walks away, only to be trapped in a net and
hauled off by Team Rocket in their balloon. Brock has Crobat bring the
balloon down and it splashes into the lake, but Team Rocket has a
Wobbuffet-shaped life raft that they use to continue their escape.
Pietra and the others follow in her boat, and Ash gets Bulbasaur to free
Rhydon. After Rhydon jumps into the water, Pikachu sends Team Rocket
blasting off again.

Still determined to capture Rhydon, Pietra dives into the water and
grabs Rhydon by the neck. Despite its underwater antics she hangs on
until, exhausted, she collapses on the shore when the Rhydon surfaces.
Finally the Rhydon agrees to battle her. Her Marill battles hard, and
although at a disadvantage, it eventually uses its Iron Tail attack to
defeat the Rhydon and Pietra captures it!

Later at the tunnel, Pietra releases her new Rhydon and it easily
breaks through the rock and finishes the job. Our heroes continue on
their journey.